Joy Behar: A view of her own

Women's Impact Report: Topical Talkers

Did you hear the one about the former “Good Morning America” receptionist who wound up with her own cable talkshow?

It’s no joke. Joy Behar tried multiple careers (high school English teacher, employment counselor) before she segued from doing standup to landing a spot at the table on “The View.” But Behar really came into her own during the past year with her own primetime talkshow on Headline News.

“I like the idea that I have a certain amount of influence because I have a particular point of view,” says Behar, who notes her day job taught her the value of listening to guests because on “The View,” “There are a lot of people interrupting and talking at the same time.”

The Brooklyn native landed her eponymous talker after network honchos noticed her well-received guest-hosting stints on “Larry King.” Reports circulated that she was on the shortlist to replace King but “I wound up with this show instead,” she says.

Behar finds her own show “freeing,” explaining, “I wanted to have panels, I wanted to have outspoken people, I wanted to have comedians on and I wanted to have fun.”

She maintains comedy is the special sauce that gives “The Joy Behar Show” its bite. “I’m a comedian by trade,” she says. “Comedians are very bright people. They have opinions, and they make it palatable to everybody because it’s funny.”